The Norwegian Dawn spent the night on Tuesday in Bermuda due to Tropical Storm Gabrielle. The ship departed mid-morning Wednesday and is expected to arrive on schedule in Boston on Friday morning.
The Norwegian Breakaway is scheduled to arrive at King’s Wharf in Bermuda on Wednesday evening for a two-night stay as scheduled.
JetBlue and US Airways waived change fees for flights to/from Bermuda on Wednesday.
Rain and wind buffeted Bermuda during the storm, but no major damage was reported.
Gabrielle was well out to sea by Wednesday afternoon.
Humberto in the far eastern Atlantic became the eighth named storm of the year and the first hurricane of the season on Wednesday morning.
Humberto poses no threat to land at this stage, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Norwegian Breakaway, the new ship from Norwegian Cruise Line that features a New York City theme, is very much like the city itself when it comes to accommodations. Just like New York, the ship features a wide range of living arrangements that run from economical studios to luxurious staterooms boasting fabulous views.
The Haven
Breakaway’s Haven — with its 24-hour service from butlers trained by the International Institutes of Modern Butlers — follows the luxury enclave pattern of the previous ships, providing exclusivity and luxury with access to the bells and whistles of a large vessel. Passengers can choose to dine in their suites, served by their butlers, and call upon them for a variety of other services. The Haven’s private pool has a dedicated valet to cater to guests’ wishes, and there is a private fitness area and hot tub in the private courtyard as well. Haven guests also receive priority reservations in the ship’s specialty restaurants, as well as priority in the spa and at shows.
On a recent sailing, agents onboard Breakaway were particularly impressed by the Haven Spa Suite With Balcony, with its king-size bed, hot tub and oversize waterfall shower. Occupants have complimentary access to the thermal spa suite with 13 heated loungers, a sauna, a steam room, a solarium, a vitality pool and whirlpools at the 23,000-square-foot Mandara Spa. Outside The Haven’s confines but with access to the amenities, the spa suites run 309 square feet and are designed for two people. There was also considerable praise for the four Haven Deluxe Owner’s Suites With Large Balcony. These 932-square-foot rooms sleep up to four people and feature gorgeous ocean views, a wet bar and a large wraparound balcony, as well as a bath and a half.
Meanwhile, the Haven Aft-Facing Penthouses With Large Balcony have king-size beds and very attractive dining and sitting areas, along with access to the Haven’s features. At 655 to 824 square feet, they accommodate up to four guests. Within The Haven itself, Haven Courtyard Penthouses With Balcony include a king-size bed and a private balcony with a beautiful view; up to three guests can share, although generally two people book these 328- to 349-square-foot accommodations.
Family Accommodations
For families of up to six people, The Haven’s Two-Bedroom Family Villa With Balcony has a bedroom with a king-size bed and a second one with a double sofa bed, plus two bathrooms, with a total of 535 to 545 square feet of space. Another option: Four or five family members can be accommodated in the 218-square-foot Family Oceanview Stateroom With Large Picture Window. Most of these have a bathtub (there are no bathtubs in staterooms 5138, 5140, 5738 and 5740), and a number of them offer connecting rooms, providing options for dividing up family groups.
The 239-square-foot Family Mini-Suites With Balcony on Deck 12 sleep up to four and are located close to kids’ activities. In these rooms, the two lower beds convert to a king-size bed, and there’s an upper bed, sofa bed and bathtub.
Also located near the kids’ programs and aimed at families seeking maximum value, 135-square-foot Family Inside staterooms sleep up to four, with two lower beds that convert to a queen-size bed and two pull-down beds in a very snug living space.
At the same size, the mid-ship and fore and aft Inside Staterooms each has two lower beds that convert to a queen-size. The Studios on Decks 10 and 11 are another sort of inside stateroom — designed for just one passenger without charging a single supplement — and each have their own private lounge where singles can mingle. This restricted-access complex is made up of 100-square-foot rooms with a full-size bed and bathroom and one-way windows that face the corridor.
Staterooms on Breakaway have a number of thoughtful touches, including storage space and good-size bathrooms with showers that have sliding doors, not curtains.
New Yorkers have a particular view of space, and, as agents explored Breakaway, more than a few of them commented: “This is bigger than my whole apartment.”
Not something one often hears on a cruise ship.
Continuing its sailings roundtrip out of New York, Breakaway moves from Bermuda to seven-day Bahamas and Florida cruises at the beginning of October.
The publicity machine is cranking itself into gear for P&O’s new baby – the biggest cruise ship ever to be built for the British market.
As construction gathers pace in an Italian dry dock, the company has disclosed the team of senior officers who will command the ship.
The long-awaited announcement of the vessel’s name is expected to be made before the end of the month, and speculation is beginning to build.
The only certainty is that – in common with every other vessel in P&O’s fleet – it will end with an ‘a.’ Beyond that, predictions (or guesses) have veered from a revival of the much-loved Canberra to something new. My money was mischievously on Carolia – after managing director Carol Marlow – until it was announced she would be leaving the company.
Gerard Tempest, the chief commercial officer at parent company Carnival UK, told me in July that his boss, chief executive David Dingle, would have a big hand in selecting the name.
“David is a walking encyclopedia of shipping and of P&O,” said Tempest. “He knows exactly what has gone before and what the name for the new ship will mean in terms of the heritage of the business.
“Before we can make a final decision there’s the whole legal business of registering the name as a trademark and ensuring that we actually own the name.”
So it is interesting to see that within the past few weeks, Carnival UK has registered two trademarks with the UK’s Intellectual Property Office.
First to be filed, on June 12, was Olympia. It was followed on July 27 byBritannia.
If either of them is the chosen name, it will be an interesting selection. Britannia is, of course, the name of the Royal Yacht, now a tourist attraction in Leith, Scotland, rather than an active ship on Her Majesty’s service. Britannia was also the name of the first steamship built for Cunard’s Transatlantic mail service, in 1840.
Olympia has been used to name a previous P&O ship, albeit more than 100 years ago.
Both names have other historic echoes. Olympic and Britannic were sister ships to the Titanic, a name you may have heard of and which is guaranteed never to be revived.
Those crew names, by the way: Paul Brown and David Pembridge are to be captains.
Brown joined P&O in 1996 and was first promoted to captain in June 2007 on board Aurora. He then went on to be master on board Artemis, Oriana, Ventura and Azura.
Pembridge joined the company in 1976 and was first promoted to captain in October 2002 on board Pacific Princess. He then went on to be master on board Royal Princess, Sun Princess, Artemis, Oceana, Ocean Village 2, Oriana and Aurora.
Martin Allen and Hamish Sunter have been named as deputy captains, and Darljit Sharma and Keith de la Mare as executive pursers.
The Norwegian Dawn spent the night on Tuesday in Bermuda due to Tropical Storm Gabrielle. The ship departed mid-morning Wednesday and is expected to arrive on schedule in Boston on Friday morning.
On the Norwegian Breakaway there are accommodations to suit just about every type of passengerBy: Marilyn Green
The only certainty is that – in common with every other vessel in P&O’s fleet – it will end with an ‘a.’ Beyond that, predictions (or guesses) have veered from a revival of the much-loved Canberra to something new. My money was mischievously on Carolia – after managing director Carol Marlow – until it was announced she would be leaving the company.
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